Six unexpected truths about the return to work - and how to get around them

Are you gearing up to head back to the office? Worried about what your return to work will look like?

You might want to start thinking about what the new normal really means. Because if your experience is anything like mine, you’re in for a bit of a shocker.

As of August 1st, Employers can now ask people to return to work – including those who could feasibly work from home.

H&H has given us the freedom to do what works best for us. Many of my colleagues have chosen to continue working from home. Me? I was practically beating down the doors in anticipation.

Having struggled to get anything done while home-schooling two very lively – and loud – small children, including being shot in the head mid-video call with a bow and arrow I couldn’t wait to get stuck into some socially-distanced social contact.

I was excited about being able to bounce my ideas off someone I could hit with a 2-metre ruler as opposed to bothering them on Microsoft Teams. And I couldn’t wait to get cracking without having to share my home office (i.e. dining table) with a partner who demands not one but TWO computer screens.

A robust return-to-work policy had prepared me for the new measures to protect our health and wellbeing – unlike almost half of employees nationwide, who say they are bamboozled by their employers’ return-to-work guidelines.

I knew I’d have to stick to my own desk, and disinfect it before I left. And I was raring to navigate the new one-way system that meant nobody would have to pass each other on the stairs (great for social distancing; also great for superstitious folk).

So, it knocked me for six to discover the experience was, well, a little bit too unnormal for my liking.

Here’s how I – and you too – can get around the bits of the new normal that no policy can prepare you for…

1. Entering the building can be a challenge in itself

In our society it’s considered polite to open the door for others. At least, it used to be. We’ve now entered a new era in which the old rules don’t apply. So you can take your antibac spray and scrub that unwritten rule right out of your etiquette book.

I’d left my key card at home, so called a colleague to let me in. She was on one side of the door, I was on the other, and we had to sign to each other to work out how to unlock the door at her side while opening it on mine, without breaking social distancing etiquette. It was a bit like to Crystal Maze, except without the bald bloke and crystals.

Top tip: Remember your key card!

2. The lessons you've learned during lockdown might get left at home

A couple of weeks ago my dad joined our ‘bubble’. I’d spent so long waving at him from my front window that it took me a week to realise I could actually hug him again. Even my four-year-old son knows he can only wave at his best mate across the nursery floor. Not hugging our friends and families has become so ingrained in our consciousness that we no longer even think about it – we simply don’t do it. Unfortunately, this consciousness hadn’t extended to work.

When I did finally get inside the building, my first reaction was to go to hug a colleague. Luckily, we both realised before said hug was carried out. Instead we stood looking at each other, arms half raised and frozen like statutes wondering what to do next. In the end we settled for an awkward wave with some elaborate hand gestures thrown in.

Top tip: Speak with you colleagues beforehand to agree on alternatives to hugs, handshakes and high fives. Otherwise you’re going to look as ridiculous as me and our Kay did when flailing our arms about in the entrance hall.

3. The hub of office gossip is now wrapped up in yellow "DO NOT USE!" tape

The water cooler has become something of a legend in office folklore. It’s where people go to chew the fat, glean the office gossip and generally have a break from their screens. At least, it was until water coolers worldwide were remove for hygiene reasons.

We’ve all known for years that water coolers can be a hotbed of germs if not cleaned correctly. That didn’t stop us shoving our saliva-smeared drinking vessels onto the spout and pooling our germs more effectively than a long-established car-sharing scheme. Covid-19 has made us realise that germs are really quite serious and we really shouldn’t mess with them. Which is perhaps quite frustrating for our parents and former teachers, who spent years trying to tell us this and being ignored.

Top tip: Create your own water cooler moments. Invite your colleagues for a socially-distanced lunchtime picnic, arrange a daily check-in via video call, or continue with the virtual pub quizzes – just because you’re in the same room with someone doesn’t mean you can’t connect with them online (although bear in mind you might have to work out a way to overcome feedback and echoes – see below). And remember to fill up your water bottles and take them with you to the office. You may drink more than you think and end up having to leave the office early to replenish, like our Cathy (we have advised she invest in a CamelBak as we’ve never seen someone quaff so much fluid in one day).

4. It can be harder to track down inspiration - particularly if you're used to searching for it next to the coffee machine

I’m not a coffee snob. I just love a good coffee. The milk has to be hot and frothy. The coffee has to be freshly ground (and preferably from The Blending Room). And if I can rope someone in to share a pot with me then all the better.

For me, the benefits of coffee go way beyond drinking the stuff – it’s about connecting with my colleagues by making them a brew and taking a break from my desk. And, with many of my best ideas being sparked around the coffee pot, I’m living proof that the process and sounds of brewing a proper cup of Joe does wonders for allowing your mind to wander and sparking inspiration.

Thanks to Coronavirus, all our communal tea and coffee has been locked up, to prevent the spread of germs. Instead, I now spend about half an hour each morning filling up flasks and plastic tubs with hot milk, water, cold water, coffee filters, coffee grounds…It’s a wonder I actually make it into the office at all.

Top tip: Find alternative places where you mind can wander – a walk in a nearby park or anywhere with a sniff of green space is always a good shout. Studies show lockdown made the bird chorus much more audible, so take advantage and lose yourself in the sounds of nature. To make your colleagues smile and win some brownie points in the process, find out which nearby delis are delivering hot drinks and order a round of brews. If you do decide to take your own hot drinks to work, remember a cup to pour them into, because the days of having a communal crockery cupboard are long gone – at least for the foreseeable future. And you’re going to look pretty weird trying to sip your Earl Grey out of the saucer under the office yukka plant (which is the only vessel that hasn’t been locked away).

5. Video calls in a communal office don't quite work like they do at home

You know the technology that would’ve made working from home easier for millions of people – if only their bosses had trusted them to work from home? We’re lucky at H&H to have been able to work from home long before lockdown. Even so, coronavirus took our virtual connectivity into another dimension. Zoom calls in the garden? Of course. Virtual pub quizzes on a Friday afternoon? Why, thank you. Video calls while overseeing a Lego battle? I kid you not.

Employees everywhere are now pros at knowing which rooms in their homes have the best WiFi. We’re comfortable speaking to clients from our kitchens. And we’re perfectly happy to connect with a wall of faces from across the globe, all of whom can see your undies airing on the clothes horse behind you (it happens more than you think).

Using our new tech savviness in the office should be seamless, right? Wrong. On my first day back there were four of us socially distancing in one room. And we were all on the same video call. Cue disturbance, feedback, and people having the same conversation twice with their own echo. Logic would dictate we all gathered around one laptop, but hey. Social distancing and all that…

Top tip: Buy headphones. Use headphones. Or tell all of your colleagues bar one to mute their speakers.

6. We've spent so long connecting at home that it's easy to forget how to do it when back in the office

One of my favourite parts about working from home has been having a virtual nosey around other people’s houses. Thanks to video calls we can check out their wallpaper, marvel at their quirky ornaments and basically spend as much time in their front rooms as they do.

When I returned to the office, I didn’t seem to call people as much. The idea that being back in the office meant I didn’t have to make so much of an effort to stay connected meant that I tended to just crack on with my work.

And because so many people were still at home, the office felt a little empty and not at all like the buzzing atmosphere I’m used to. Thankfully, it only took me a few days to realise what was happening and I’m once again a regular in my colleagues’ kitchens and living rooms, courtesy of Microsoft Teams.

Top tip: Remember everything you’ve learned during lockdown and keep putting it into practice – the virtual connections, video calls, group chats and ringing someone up just so you can chew the fat have proved a really valuable way of bringing people together. It’s conversations like these that help spark creativity (one of our latest products was sparked by a chat about fuzzy felt), so don’t stop doing it simply because you’re back at your old desk.

What’s surprised you the most about your return to work? What tips can you share to help others get through the post-lockdown (pre-next lockdown?) life? I’d be chuffed to hear your thoughts!